MsLatté’s Daebak Cybercafé (Kdrama addicts #40): The Filthy Noonas’ rapidly expanding flock gambol into spring with a giddiness only matched by Junkook’s drunken vlives

[boatyardblues]

A quiet corner of MN for serious addicts of Kdrama, or the K-curious. Most of our viewing is drawn from Netflix and Viki, with a sprinkling of AmazonPrime, AppleTV and Disney+. There are also platforms streaming content illegally if you go looking. We don’t promote them as they are peppered with pop-ups of “Olga” and friends offering a good time, but we can point you in the right direction. We also dip into Japanese, Taiwanese & Chinese drama as & when.

The previous thread is here but our list is cumulative so includes recommendations and favourites from all previous threads. Shows marked with a star are more uniformly loved or admired. In categorising series, its important to note most Korean dramas have multiple strands - e.g. supernatural, romance and a thriller; crime series with fantasy elements. Genre-busting mash-ups are normal. Series that are tagged as dark may also have moments of comedy or the absurd, likewise fluff can have heavier moments. Writer/actor Simon Pegg referred to it fondly as “tonal chaos” - it’s part of kdrama’s charm. View the categories below as best approximate & ask if you need guidance about suitability for younger viewers.

Comedy (with a side order of absurd)
I picked up a celebrity on the street (Viki)My Fellow Citizens (Viki/Netflix)
The Fiery Priest (Netflix)

Crime/Thriller
Come and Hug Me (Dramafast)
Graceful Family (Viki)
Healer (Netflix)🌟
Heartless City (Viki)
He is Psychometric (Viki)I
Hear Your Voice (Netflix /Viki)
Life on Mars (classy remake of BBC series, no major site yet)
Little Women (Netflix)
My Name (Netflix)
My Secret Terrius (Netflix)🌟
Signal (Netflix)🌟
Somebody (Netflix, content warning: sexual & violence)
Snowdrop (Disney+)
Stranger - 2 seasons (Netflix)
Suspicious Partner (Netflix)🌟
The Lies Within (Netflix)🌟
Tunnel (Netflix)🌟

Historical/Period drama (“sageuk”)
100 Days My Prince (Viki/Netflix)
Crowned Clown (Viki/Netflix)🌟
Mr Queen (Viki)🌟
Mr Sunshine (Netflix)
Our Blooming Youth (Viki)
Pachinko (AppleTV)
Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung (Netflix)
Tale of Nokdu (Viki/Netflix)🌟
The Forbidden Marriage (Viki)
The King’s Affection (Netflix)
The Red Sleeve (Viki)🌟

Romance - lighter & fluffier
Beating Again (Netflix)
Business Proposal (Netflix)
Coffee Prince (Netflix)
Dali & the Cocky Prince (Viki)
Don’t Dare to Dream (Netflix, or as Jealousy Incarnate on Viki)🌟
Gogh, The Starry Night (Viki)
Happy Once Again (Netflix)
Her Private Life (Viki/Netflix)
His Master’s Sun (Netflix) 🌟
Hometown Cha Cha Cha (Viki)🌟
Love from a Star (Netflix)🌟
Lovestruck in the City (Netflix)
Monthly Magazine Home (Viki)
Pinocchio (Netflix)
Radio Romance (Netflix)
Romance is the Bonus Book (Netflix)🌟Run On (Netflix)
She Was Pretty (Netflix)🌟
The Beauty Inside (Viki/Netflix)
The Secret Life of My Secretary (Viki/Netflix)
Thirty Not Seventeen (Viki) or as Still 17 (Netflix)
To My Star [BL] (Viki)
True Beauty (Viki)
Twenty-five Twenty-one (Netflix)🌟Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo (Netflix/Viki)
What’s Up With Secretary Kim (Viki)🌟Where Stars Land (Viki)🌟
You are my Destiny (Netflix)
You Make Me Dance [BL] (Viki)
Yumi’s Cells (Viki)

Romance - heavier weight/more grown up themes
Another Miss Oh (Netflix)🌟
Because This Is My First Life (Viki/Netflix)🌟
Chicago Typewriter (Viki/Netflix)🌟
Crash Course in Romance (Netflix)
Crash Landing on You (Netflix)🌟Descendants of the Sun (Viki/Netflix)
Doctors (Netflix)
Doom At Your Service (Viki)
Extraordinary Attorney Woo (Netflix)
Fight For My Way (Viki/Netflix)🌟
Go Back Couple (Viki)/Couple on the Backtrack (Netflix)
I’ll Go To You When The Weather is Nice (Viki)
It’s OK Not To Be OK (Netflix)
Just Between Lovers (Viki)/Rain or Shine (Netflix)🌟
Mad For Each Other (Netflix)🌟
Melo is my Nature (Viki)/Be Melodramatic (other sites)🌟
My Strange Hero (Viki)
One Spring Night (Netflix)
Red Carpet - film (Netflix, very adult content)
Romantic Dr Kim - seasons 1&2 (Viki)
Search: WWW (Viki, Netflix)🌟
Something in the Rain (Netflix)
The Handmaid (film, Netflix - content warning: explicit sexual content)
The Package (Viki)

Straighter ‘Slice of Life’ dramas on universal themes
Gaus Electronics (Viki)🌟
Hospital Playlist (Netflix)🌟
Hospital Playlist 2 (Netflix)🌟
Into The Ring (Viki)
Itaewon Class (Netflix)
Live (Netflix)
Misaeng (Netflix)🌟
My Liberation Notes🌟
Move to Heaven (Netflix)
My Mister (Viki/Netflix)🌟
My Unfamiliar Family (Viki)🌟
Navillera (Netflix)🌟
Prison Playbook (Netflix)🌟
On The Verge of Insanity (Viki)
Once Again (Viki)Our Blues (Netflix)🌟Stove League (Viki)/Hot Stove League (Netflix)
Racket Boys (Netflix)
Would You Like a Cup of Coffee (Viki)🌟

Supernatural/zombies/vampires/fantasy/sci-fi - lighter & fluffier
Alchemy of Souls (Netflix) 🌟Extraordinary You (Netflix)
Goblin (Viki)🌟
I am not a Robot (Netflix)
Legend of the Blue Sea (Viki/Netflix)
Kiss Goblin (Viki, webdrama)
My Holo Love (Netflix)🌟
Orange Marmalade (Netflix)
While You Were Sleeping (Viki)🌟

Supernatural/zombies/vampires/fantasy/sci-fi - darker/more grown up themes
#Alive (Netflix)
Black (Netflix)🌟
Delivery Man (Viki)
Happiness (Viki/Netflix)🌟
Hotel del Luna (Viki/Netflix)🌟
King: The Eternal Monarch (Netflix)
Kingdom (Netflix)🌟
Kingdom: Ashin of the North (Netflix)
Mystic Pop-up Bar (Netflix)
Peninsula - film, Train to Busan sequel (Amazon Prime, iMovies)
Sisyphus (Netflix)
Sell Your Haunted House (Netflix)
The Guest (Netflix)
Train to Busan - film (Amazon Prime)
W: Two Worlds (Viki & Netflix)🌟
Zombie Detective (Viki/Netflix)

Guilty Pleasures (for the joy, not the quality)
Bride of Habaek (Netflix)
Hwarang (Viki/Netflix)
My Secret Romance (Viki)
The Last Empress (Viki/Netflix)
Sassy Go Go (Netflix)

Mad as a box of frogs/uncategorisable
Strong Girl Bong Soon (Netflix)
School Nurse Files (Netflix)

Not Korean ‘You May Also Like’
We also branch out into Japanese, Taiwanese and Chinese drama. The Chinese & Taiwanese stuff is much more variable quality-wise, so we’ve noted anything decent here:

Before We Get Married (Viki - Taiwanese)
Find Yourself (Netflix - Chinese)
First Love (Netflix - Japanese)🌟
Go Go Squid (Viki - Chinese)
In House Marriage Honey (Viki, Japanese)
In Time With You (Viki - Japanese)
Instead of Tipsy Why Not Get Drunk (Viki, Chinese)
Lost Romance (Viki, Taiwanese)
Love O2O (Viki, Chinese)
Meet Yourself (Viki, Chinese)
Million Yen Women (Netflix, Japanese)
Morning Call (Netflix, Japanese)
My Little Happiness (Viki, Chinese)
Put Your Head on My Shoulder (Netflix, Chinese)
Rinko Wants To Try (Viki)
Some Day or One Day (Viki, Taiwanese)
Sweat and Soap (Viki, Japanese)
The Makanai (Netflix, Japanese)
The Romance of Tiger & Rose (Viki, Chinese)
To Fly with Me (Viki, Chinese)
Tientsin Mystic (Netflix, Chinese)
You Are My Hero (Viki, Chinese)

AVOID aka “the shit list” 💩
Melting Me Softly
The Birth of a Beauty
Well-Intentioned Love season 1 (S2 is fine & stands alone)

Top Scoring 2022 Dramas
Coutrtesy of much-missed Hello’s kdrama spreadsheet, updated by thread regulars. Marks out of 10.
#1 My Liberation Notes 9.45
#2 Alchemy of Souls 9.10
#3 First Love 8.88 (Jdrama)
#4 Our Blues 8.83
#5 Gaus Electronics 8.75

Top Scoring 2021 Dramas
#1 The Red Sleeve - 10
#2 Happiness - 9
#3 Devil Judge - 8.75
#4 Squid Game - 8.6
#5 Navillera - 8.57

Top Scoring 2020 dramas
#1 Mr Queen - 9.4
#2 Parasite (film) - 9.05
#3 It's Okay To Not Be Okay - 8.88
#4 The Uncanny Counter - 8.50
#5 Once Again - 8.42

Top Scoring 2019 dramas
#1 Her Private Life - 9.42
#2 Melo is My Nature - 9.00
#3 tied: Crash Landing On You, The Crowned Clown, The Lies Within, and The Tale of Nokdu - 8.75
#4 Hotel del Luna - 8.50
#5 tied: Romance is a Bonus Book, and Search: WWW - 8.17

We are fans of all things Korean, so equally happy to talk about Korean cookery, language, current affairs, film and music when the mood takes us. A few of us are learning Korean, Japanese and/or Mandarin (some more diligently than others), so we swap tips and links to language resources. Basically, anything topical goes.

We often resort to acronyms and/or abbreviations of show titles or actors’ names. Don’t be afraid to ask for help/clues if we’re not making sense or have descended into acronym soup.

If you want to join us down the kdrama rabbit hole, welcome! Pull up a chair, say goodbye to early nights and get stuck in!

Love the badges Pol! 🤣

I've started Pandora: Behind the Paradise (Olga's) and Ep1 featured a cheating husband; a vicious mistress; murder of a chimp; world breaking medical technology; memory loss; a secret background and politics. I think it covered the kdrama blackout bingo card! On to Ep2 now and hoping for more of the same!!😁

I finished MrQueen and I must say, I thought it was hilarious. A really fun drama to watch.

Just started Call it Love, it's a bit depressing, does it get any better?

Meth, I think the ML actually smiled in Ep12.🤔

Metheven Mr Queen is sublime. I don’t understand why it didn’t win loads of awards. Shin Hye-sun is absolutely brilliant as is Kim Jung Hyun and all the supporting cast.
I was very disappointed by Kokdu so I hope for his next role KJH finds a role deserving of his superb acting ability.

MigsandTiggs something to look forward to, then😆. I will give it another go, but I don't think even the gorgeous ML is going to save this for me. No idea why I started it, I like warm and fluffy, and this is anything but so far.

Andante57 Shin Hye-sun absolutely nailed it in this, she was just fabulous. I haven't seen Kokdu, is it not worth seeing?

Hahaha! Pandora ep2 and Bok-Soon has joined. This show just might be a tad unhinged 😂

Shin Hye-sun absolutely nailed it in this, she was just fabulous. I haven't seen Kokdu, is it not worth seeing?

Metheven dh and I couldn’t get into it. He found it boring and I couldn’t understand what was going on. It’s a shame as apart from KJH there’s Cha Chung Wa who was Court Lady Choi, and Kim In-Kwon the chef in Mr Queen so no shortage of acting talent.

Andante57 I think I will give it a miss, then. Shame, because it sounds like a really good cast (I loved Court Lady Choi).

Metheven even I gave up on Kokdu - I thought it started promisingly enough, but the tone was off somehow and the plot was all over the place - and didn't go anywhere! I really like KJH (Mr Queen was brilliant) and as Andante said there's some great acting talent in it, it just didn't seem to come together for some reason.

Migs Pandora sounds bonkers in an awesome way! Enjoy!

My mum is visiting this week and has no tolerance for kdrama - we've been watching season 2 of Vikings Valhalla instead.

Aigoo Call it Love Aigoo. Wish I could have last two episodes NOW.
Hope WToD not employed in order to achieve happy ending. Although if that's what we need for a happy ending I'll take it obviously.

Pol, you've fallen for the empathetic and loving hug from the ML💗

It was such a lovely hug and moving conversation Migs. You KNOW I'm a sucker for dopey eyes and mildly angsty healing.
Really hoping pharmacist sorts himself out and pounces like a (consent-asking) wolf on Unni next week too.

Any Maths boffins here who would like to come up with a formula for slurping ramyeon that don't end with being slapped in the eye by recalcitrant noodles? I made lots of (delicious) stock and have been experimenting with different ingredient combinations 😋 but the ends of the damned noodles keep hitting me in the face!

I'm thinking something along the lines of suction power, velocity, length, distance to mouth and possibly, position of head?? Nobel prize awaits.
God, I need to get a life!!!😜

Haha 🤣 chopsticks for control of escaping noodles maybe? What recipe did you use?

Loup, they don't escape! I think I might be slurping them up too fast 🤫

No recipe, I just used chicken wings, ginger, garlic, dried shiitake mushrooms, onion, chopped chilli, sweet soya and regular soya sauces, fish sauce, some sesame oil and the most delicious and unusual pepper corns with spices (Lidl).
I've had ramyeon with BBQ pulled pork, braised beef, salmon, and with the egg topper, so staying away from all scales for now.

I also made crab rice balls and crab and avocado sushi rolls. I love seaweed!

If anyone is interested in growing perilla seeds, chilternseeds.co.uk has them. Perilla leaf is sometimes used together with a lettuce leaf, or on its own, to wrap bbq meat in SK.

Any Maths boffins here who would like to come up with a formula for slurping ramyeon that don't end with being slapped in the eye by recalcitrant noodles? I made lots of (delicious) stock and have been experimenting with different ingredient combinations 😋 but the ends of the damned noodles keep hitting me in the face!

If you find the solution, please do share. I am a fellow sufferer.

Thanks for perilla seed tip. 👍

Forgive me, Filthy Noonas. I’m still toiling deep in the manhwa mines. When I’m back out I’ll get back to my usual kdrama commentary.

Sounds delicious migs & thanks also for the perilla leaf tip - I might try my hand this year when I get the raised bed sorted out...

I have started watching Empress Ki - right up my street - although I winced at bloody cross dressing again in episode 1, at least she is semi-plausible as Seung-nyang compared to some others I could mention (side-eyes at OBY) ..... prob a bad idea to start a 51 episode mega-series when I have an exam coming up but YOLO 🤣

We ate a lot of barbecued meat wrapped in perilla leaves in Korea and it was absolutely delicious.
I tried to grow them but they didn’t really work - maybe I sowed them too late.

Interesting Andante. The review from someone who lives in the same part of the UK as I seemed to think that perilla prefers being grown close together so I might try growing it both indoors and outside in large pots.

What’s the marketing strategy?
I am not following solo albums so not following news either. All I have seen is Hobi & Jimin - dancing with other artists. What’s that about?
and what is Jimin's Robert Mapplethorpe trousers?
I can’t find answers on google so please enlighten me #FOMO

Jin In a nutshell, J-Hope and Namjoon released solo albums last year. Jimin just released his, and Yoongi's is following in two weeks' time (first single is out this Friday).

In addition to their albums, J-Hope, Namjoon and Jimin have also all released collab singles with (or featured on singles by) other artists (J-Hope: 'On the Street' and 'Rush Hour', Namjoon: 'Sexy Nukim' and 'Smoke Sprite', Jimin: 'Vibe'). Jin also released a single last year, and JK did a solo song for the World Cup.

Some great new music there, and indeed some great videos, well worth an explore! Chingus, please correct/add info if I've forgotten anything 😊

I will try and post a picture of the trousers 😁

Here's an article about them:

Jimin's Robert Mapplethorpe trousers

Jin, the single, Like Crazy that made Billboard's #1 was launched in 5 versions that covered several markets and genres. There were versions in Korean, English, instrumental, UK garage remix and a Deep house remix. This then pushed up sales in a very short time space resulting in a high chart placing as all versions were probably counted against a single title.

Migs useful to know about the perilla seeds, thanks! I may have a go at trying to grow some.

My issue with noodles is not so much being hit in the face by my own food (I'm not throwing shade here, it's entirely feasible that wd happen to me😂). But rather, spraying the sauce literally halfway across the room/in my own eyes (yes it's happened) as the noodles flap around on their way up to my mouth. (Attractive.) I think TheLoup has the answer to both our issues - Koreans indeed seem to kind of hoover up/guide the noodles in from below with chopsticks. I need to study this in more detail 🤔